Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
NetGalley sent out an email a week or two back offering folks a chance to read this book in exchange for a review, and I jumped on it. I enjoy Kelley Armstrong‘s work, but I haven’t kept up with her in recent years. This seemed an excellent opportunity to change that, although I had to break my personal rule about always starting a series with the first book. I was not disappointed.
The main character, Mallory, is a modern police detective who finds herself in Victorian Scotland after a stalker almost kills her. She inhabits the body of Catriona, a housemaid with a very different personality, to say the least. Fortunately for her, Catriona is employed by an eccentric, forward-thinking family, including undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray. Mallory’s knowledge of modern police practices and forensic science gives Duncan a leg up in solving crimes, so she has become his assistant.
I found all the main characters intriguing. The plot involving a mummy and Egyptian artifacts was a bit convoluted, but it worked. I can’t help but wonder how well Mallory coped with adjusting to the 1890s in the first two books, but she has largely adjusted in this volume. I definitely intend to pick up the earlier entries in the series and add them to be to-be-read stack.